“To adventurous expectations,” I toasted back, pulling my blanket tighter,very much aware that it was the only thing separating Noah’s eyes from full frontal nudity.
I took a long sip, hoping to douse the fire burning inside my body. The champagne was crisp and bright, with notes of citrus and minerals that danced across my tongue like tiny bubbles of sunshine. Before I knew it, half my glass was gone.
“Careful now.” Noah topped me off with another generous pour from the bottle. “Better keep our wits about us.”
“Oh, I think my wits left me a long time ago.” I pressed the glass to my lips.
Outside, the storm raged on, but in the cabin, beside the fire, sipping champagne and nibbling on truffles, a different kind of storm was brewing, one just as wild but infinitely more inviting.
As I looked again at the single bare mattress, I couldn’t help but laugh, perhaps the champagne starting to have an effect. “This really isn’t how I imagined my luxury resort gig turning out.”
Noah set his glass on the floor and leaned back, arms propped behind him. The bottom of his curtain skirt had hiked up one leg. “It’s not that bad, is it?”
I looked over, watching the reflection of the flames dance in his eyes. “Could be worse.” I hitched my blanket back over my shoulders. “Maybe I’m just not cut out for this authentic luxury influencer stuff.”
“I think you’re cut out for anything you set your mind to,” said Noah.
“Stop.”
“I’m serious, Sam. You’ve got … grit.” Noah took another drink of his champagne. “You surprised me. You’re not the person I thought you were when I first met you.”
“Is that a good thing? Or a badthing?”
“It’s a good thing.”
Noah must have been sitting too close to the fire, because a bead of sweat had formed just beneath his collarbone. It tracked down between the muscles in his chest, weaved through the hard lines of his abdomen … then … lower still.
I forced my eyes back to my glass, downing the rest of it in one gulp. Before I could tell him no thank you, Noah refilled it.
“Like I said, this whole thing started off as a side project.”
“Seems to have worked out.”
I shrugged. “Yet here I am, drinking champagne in a cabin in the woods. Naked. Questioning my life choices.”
The wool blanket was starting to chafe my side boob, and between the fire and the heavy material, I began breaking out in a sweat too. “Maybe Mom was right. The responsible thing is to just go back to school, perfect my dim sum making, and settle down with Edgar.”
Noah paused mid-sip. “Edgar? That’s not the Pilates guy …”
“No, Edgar’s just a family friend. We went to Stanford together, except Edgar actually graduated and got his MBA. Now he runs his family’s business, the bakery next to my parents’ restaurant. He’s ...” I paused, picturing Edgar’s perfectly pressed suits and manicured nails. “He’s very put-together. The kind of guy who color-codes his closet and has a ten-step skincare routine.”
Noah’s mouth twitched. “Sounds organized.”
“His apartment looks like a West Elm catalog.”
“So you’ve seen his apartment …”
“Many times.” I paused, giving Noah’s mind time to wander. “He drives a BMW and prefers cold-pressed juice.” I wrapped the blanket tighter. “He sends my mom pictures of his latest pastry creations. She probably frames them.”
“Sounds like a great guy.” Noah’s voice was carefully neutral.
“He is. Really. He donates to charity, remembers everyone’s birthdays, loves his parents … loves my parents.” I sighed. “He’s just...”
Outside, a distant rumble of thunder rolled across the night sky.
“Just?”
I couldn’t tell if Noah’s eyes were flaming, or it was simply the reflection of the fire. “Not what I’m looking for.” The champagne made my head fuzzy. Or maybe it was the way Noah looked at me.
